– You are incorrigible, Flores. We could not drag by force the defenseless woman.
– Knights! Gallantry! Here Feargus will prescribe you knights… Whether it is necessary? – And, having taken the gun atilt, he nodded to a board through which jumped over Gatling and still wet Simpkins, all in green seaweed, with the crabs who clung to clothes: – It still that for water?.
Negotiations began. The Gatling would not be afraid to try forces with these two ragamuffins. But if they do not lie, fight will not lead to anything: on the Island as they assure, there lives the whole population – forty three well armed persons. Forces are unequal – the victory has to remain on their party.
Having left as proof of Simpkins, Gatling went to discuss situation with Ms. Kingman. It also agreed that fight is useless. It was decided to go by everything to be presented to the captain Feargus together.
Chapter 8
GOVERNOR FEARGUS SLEYTON
On the Island of the Lost Ships there were quite good means of communication.
Having got over through an old three-deck frigate, Ternip who was going ahead brought captives to the road: it were the bridges thrown between the ships and over the failed decks. Along this road some wire attached to small columns and the remained masts lasted.
– Here, here! Do not stumble, Ms. – he kindly addressed Ms. Kingman. It was followed by Gatling and Simpkins. Gloomy Flores, having pulled a sombrero to eyebrows, concluded a procession.
Halfway to them the inhabitants dressed in the tatters all which acquired suntanned began to meet: blond inhabitants of the North, swarty southerners, several Blacks, three Chinese… All of them with greedy curiosity looked at new inhabitants of the Island.
Among small sailing vessels of different eras and the people, in the center of the Island, the big, quite well remained frigate Elizabeth rose.
– The residence of the governor – Ternip respectfully said.
On the deck of this “residence” there was something like guard of honor: six sailors with guns in hands, in identical and quite decent suits.
The governor received guests in a big cabin.
After the depressing type of the destroyed ships this cabin involuntarily struck.
It had quite inhabited appearance and was removed almost magnificently. Only some diversity of style said that here pulled down everything that found the best by the ships which beat to this strange Island.
Expensive Persian carpets covered a floor. On consoles there were several good Chinese vases. Dark walls with carved eaves of a black oak were covered with fine pictures of the Dutch, Spanish and Italian masters: Velasquez, Ribeiro, Rubens, Titian, Flemish landscape writer Teynyer. Right there was an etude of the dog doing a rack, and nearby, breaking style, the fine Japanese picture embroidered with silk, representing in style Gokpan a crane on showered with snow to a bough of a tree and a mountain Fujiyama cone hung.
On a big round table there were ancient Venetian cut vases of the sixteenth century, the French bronze candelabrums of times of the Directory and several rare pink sinks. The heavy carved furniture fitted by imprinted pigskin with gold rims at the edges, gave to a cabin a solid look.
Прислонясь to a bookcase, there was a governor Ostrova – the captain Feargus Sleyton.
It favourably differed from other inhabitants in strong addition, the vykholenny, well shaved face and quite decent captain’s suit.
A little flat nose, heavy chin, sensual mouth made not absolutely pleasant impression. His gray cold eyes directed on comers. He silently and quietly looked at them, as if studying them and weighing something. It was the look of the person who got used to dispose of destiny of people, without paying attention to their personal desires, tastes and interests. Having thrown a cursory glance on Simpkinsa and, obviously, without having considered it noteworthy, he long looked at Ms. Kingman, transferred a view of Gatlinga and again to Kingman…
This silent survey confused Viviana and began to annoy Gatlinga.
– May I introduce myself: Redzhinald Gatling, Ms. Vivian Kingman, Mr. Jim Simpkins. Passengers of the steamship “Veniamin Franklin” which crashed.
Sleyton, without paying attention to Gatlinga, still continued to look at Ms. Kingman. Then he approached it, kindly greeted, carelessly gave a hand to Gatlingu and Simpkins and invited to sit down.
– Yes, I know – he spoke – I know.
The Gatling was extraordinary surprised when Sleyton precisely specified where and when their steamship crashed. None of them spoke about it to islanders.
Sleyton addressed almost only Ms. Kingman.
– If the case brought you on this sad Island, Ms. Kingman, then we, islanders, have to thank only the lucky stars for its fine gift – Sleyton released rather heavy compliment even without smile upon the face.
– Alas, I am not inclined to thank the lucky stars which so disposed of me – Ms. Kingman answered.
– Who knows, who knows? – mysteriously Sleyton answered. – Here not so badly is, Ms. as can seem from the first. You play music? You sing?
– Yes…
– Perfectly. Perfectly. Here you will find a fine erarovsky grand piano and rich musical library. There are enough books too. Among our islanders there are interesting people. Here at least this Ternip. However, it decently fell, but he saw much, knows much and once was well placed. Now it is ridiculous, but nevertheless is interesting. Then Liu-ders, German. This is our historian and the scientist. He studies shipbuilding history, our Island – the real museum, isn’t that so?
– Shipbuilding history? It is interesting – told Gatling.
– It is related to your specialty? – carelessly Sleyton asked, having looked at him squinted.
– Yes, I am a shipbuilding engineer – Gatling answered.
Ms. Kingman with astonishment looked at it. She also did not know about it.
– There now and you will have an interesting interlocutor, Mr…
– Gatling.
– Mr. Gatling… Людерс brought together the most interesting library from ship magazines and posthumous notes of all dead by the ships surrounding us. Well… I do not advise this material to read… However, it would be enough for ten novelists, but it is too gloomy, too. The Sargasso Sea will seem to you after reading this library one of circles of dantovsky Hell.
– And what, by these ships there is probably a lot of and… rarities of everyones found? – squoze the word and Simpkins.
Sleyton looked at Simpkins more attentively and, having noted some observation or a conclusion in memory, answered:
– Yes, is and … – he purposely made the same pause, as well as Simpkins – rarities. We have the whole museum. I will show it to you somehow if you are interested in rarities.
But what, unfortunately, lacks us – Sleyton addressed Ms. Kingman again – so it women’s society. With the death of my late wife – Sleyton sighed – on the Island there were only two women: Maggie Flores and Ida Dode, or Ternip, as call at us her husband. This is the old, respectable woman. I will provide you it to cares.
– To eat it is given – the Black footman who is dressed up on the occasion of arrival of new settlers in a dress coat and white gloves declared.
– I ask you to eat on a housewarming – and the governor led guests to the dining room where well served table was laid.
During a breakfast Sleyton once again surprised with Gatlinga the awareness on what becomes on light. Sleyton knew the latest world news.
The governor noticed amazed looks and for the first time fatly laughed:
– We if you want, Robinzona. But Robinzona of the twentieth century. You noticed the wires attached to masts and columns? The island of the Lost Ships has telephone communication. We could arrange also electric lighting, but we do not have fuel. But we have the radio-receiving station and even a loudspeaker. We got all this on the installed radio vessels beaten to the Island in recent years. You wish to listen? – and Sleyton put the radio-receiving device in action.
And in a cabin of an old frigate, among the Island of the Lost Ships, the fashionable song executed in New York by the famous singer who was heard more than once by Ms. Kingman suddenly was heard.
Never before sounds of songs so shook it.
Chapter 9
NEW LIFE
The female part of the population of the Island accepted Ms. Kingman with the most live participation.
If from Maggie Flores at Ms. Kingman friendly relations of contemporaries, then old, strict by sight were established, but the kind wife of Aristide Ternipa-Dode – Ida – took at once patronizing tone of careful mother concerning Ms. Kingman. Women was so a little on the Island! Besides Mrs. Dode thoroughly assumed that Viviana will need her protection. And it accepted the girl under the guardianship.
Maggie Flores in the first day told Vivian Kingman the sad story. When the destiny abandoned her on the Island, she married, with observance of the “laws” and ceremonialisms existing on the Island, the governor Feargus Sleyton. From this marriage she gave birth to the child who was the only representative of new generation on the Island now. Feargus was rough and is even tough with it, but she suffered… During the German war on the Island brought the German submarine and on it three who survived: the sailor, the captain and the young Frenchwoman from the passenger steamship sunk by the same submarine.
When the Frenchwoman appeared on the Island, Feargus wanted to make her the wife. Between Feargus and the German captain of the submarine there was a quarrel. The German was killed, and the Frenchwoman became Sleyton’s wife. Maggie got a divorce and it was the wife of Flores soon.
It is rough too, but he loves Maggie, is strong and does not give her to anybody in offense.
Then… then the Frenchwoman died. Sleyton said that she incidentally got poisoned with fish poison. But on the Island said that she committed suicide as she loved the German captain killed by Feargus. And widowed Feargus Sleyton wished to return Maggie again. But Flores told that, having only crossed through his corpse, Sleyton will manage to receive Maggie back.
For Sleyton to cross through a corpse as easily, as through a log. It would not stop before it. But Flores part was taken by all population of the Island. The governor understood that with it it is not necessary to joke, and receded.
– And I remained the wife of Flores – finished the story of Maggie. – And here such minute, dear Ms. Viviana, you were… You understand all difficulty of your situation? If Feargus Sleyton is pleasant to you, well, then everything is all right. And if is not present or your heart is occupied by another – and she significantly looked at Viviana – that be careful. Be very careful with Sleyton!.
Ms. Kingman reddened.
– My heart is not occupied – she answered – but I am not going to become Sleyton’s wife.
The conversation passed to other subjects. Ms. Dode told Vivian about how she is to them on the Island.
– We have quite large supplies of food, mainly canned food. But as it is unknown whether these stocks will be replenished, they are spent only as a last resort, especially flour. Bread, wine, canned and vegetable meat are given only by the patient. As ordinary food serves fish hooked in the sea. From monotony in food quite often there are diseases of a scurvy. Such patients are given a ration from a warehouse.
– Tell, but all these ships cannot sink?
– Our professor Lyuders says that here small depth. The ships sank several centuries here, lifting a bottom. And now we are on the most real Island from the lost ships. We have loved places of walks, the streets and the areas here – on decks of the big ships, “mountain” and “valley” … With us there live six monkeys, several dogs and the tamed birds whom we caught when they had a rest on the Island during flight. – The old woman sighed. – What to tell? The person gets used to everything! Nevertheless it would be desirable to see still the earth and to bury the old bones in the earth…
Maggie’s fears came true. Ms. Kingman was necessary to face Sleyton soon.
He invited her to himself to evening tea. And when it came, he almost without preface made it the proposal to become his wife. She answered with resolute refusal. Sleyton began to ask it, then to threaten:
– Understand that it is inevitable. And in your interests. With me you will be in safety, you will be provided to all necessary. For you there will be a fine leaving… I know, your father is rich. But all its riches – pennies in comparison with what I have. I will show you full chests of gold, a heap of diamonds and pearls; you the whole handfuls will take emeralds from my treasures. Everything will be yours.
– I am not a child to play stones. And here all these treasures only are also fit for pouring them from a hand into a hand.
– Agree! Agree of own will, differently … – and it strong squeezed it a hand at an elbow.
– Whether I left a tray here? – having opened a door, Mrs. Dode asked suddenly and entered a cabin.
Sleyton discontentedly frowned, departed from Ms. Kingman and silently waited.
The old woman continued to dart about on a cabin. He lost patience:
– You will get out from here soon?
Mrs. Dode podbochenitsya, became in the most fighting pose, looked up and down at Sleyton from legs to the head and suddenly flew on him as the brood hen protecting the chicken:
– No, I will not clean up! No, I will not clean up until you answer me all my questions. You governor Ostrova?
– I am a governor! Further!
– You issue laws?
– I issue laws!
– Who will be to obey your laws if you the first do not execute them?
– Yes in what business, mad you the woman?
– You madman, but not I! You issued the law that each woman getting on the Island has to marry! So, well. But the woman is granted the right to freely choose to itself the husband… And you what you do?
– You overheard?
– Yes, yes, overheard and very well made! Unless so we make elections of the husband? You wanted to deceive also her and all who are not deprived of the right to count on its choice. You wanted to bypass the law, but you will not manage it. I will trumpet it on all island, and all will be against you. You did not forget history with Maggie and Flores? And so to you and last question: whether you intend to execute the law and to appoint elections of the proper husband by Viviana Kingman how it is necessary?
Feargus was angry, but felt that he should obey.
– Well! We will execute this formality if you so want it! But you will see that the result will be the same. Ms. will not agree to marry the Black or one of my ragamuffins.
– We will see it. And now, the child, we go to me – and she took away Ms. Kingman with a type of the winner.
Chapter 10
CHOICE OF THE GROOM
The sun fell for the horizon, lighting with red beams the bright green surface of the Sargasso Sea and the Island of the Lost Ships with its wood of masts. This deformed by storms, iskroshenny time the wood, its broken boughs yards, shreds of sails, rare as the last leaves – all this could bring into despondency of the most cheerful person.
But professor Lyuders felt here perfectly as the scientist-archeologist in the favourite museum of antiquities.
Having taken seat on the deck of the Dutch caravel, he with enthusiasm told Gatlingu, showing to a broad gesture around:
– Here, before your eyes, all history of shipbuilding. You cannot imagine what there are historical jewelry here. Over there, at the wheel steamship of last century, the ship of a dokolumbovsky era is seen. With such wheel floated in the ocean! And there, behind a three-deck brig, the pearl of my museum is stored: the Scandinavian single-masted nine-oar vessel of the tenth century from west banks of Greenland. In immemorial times it was thrown out by a storm on fragments of earlier lost ships and therefore perfectly remained. Look at its beautiful extended form, with the sharp raised stern and higher nose topped with the carved head not birds, not a dragon. What destinies it got here? What madly brave people were let in this fragile boat in far swimming? And there, below, in motionless cold depths, likely, ruins of the Phoenician and Egyptian ships, and who knows, perhaps, here, under us lie, the fleet of great Atlantis, among the wood of seaweed and columns of the died civilization is based?